CHINA AND SAUDI ARABIA BUILD ONE OF THE MOST LEGENDARY SOVIET - ERA
COMPANY GIANT AIRCRAFT ANTONOV AN- 225 MRIYA WITH UKRAIN'S COMPANY.

The
Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian: (dream or inspiration), is a
strategic airlift cargo aircraft that was designed by the Antonov Design
Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union during the 1980s.
It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest
aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (710
short tons). It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in
operational service. The single example built has the Ukrainian civil
registration UR-82060. A second airframe with a slightly different
configuration was partially built. Its construction was halted in 1994
because of lack of funding and interest, but revived briefly in 2009,
bringing it to 60%-70% completion.On 30 August 2016, Antonov agreed to
complete the second airframe for Aerospace Industry Corporation of
China.

Saudi
Arabia and Ukraine’s Antonov aircraft company are to build transport
planes for military and civilian use in a deal strengthening the
kingdom’s drive to develop a domestic military industry. The
state-backed King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
(KACST) said it had signed an agreement with Antonov to produce the
AN-32 aircraft.Antonov said in a separate statement a modernized version
of the AN-32 would be designed jointly and then produced in Saudi
Arabia, which would own the blueprints for the model.During the
Soviet period Ukraine was a distant second to Russia in terms aerospace
system design bureaus. While the major aircraft, helicopter and missile
design centers were almost all located in Moscow, the Ukrainian capital
of Kiev was home to only one aircraft design bureau–Antonov. This
disparity was reflected throughout the aerospace industry, with many of
the developmental facilities for aircraft, missiles, radars, etc.
concentrated in Moscow and only a few major defense development
facilities located in Kiev.The
real capability that was resident in Ukraine was an extensive network
of overhaul and repair plants. Many of these repair facilities soon
began looking at the market opportunities presented by the considerable
number of former Soviet-era aircraft, air defense systems and radars
used by neighboring states and other former clients of the Soviet
Union’s military assistance programs.What
they soon came to realize was that Russian firms were “fairly
proficient at producing new models of weapon systems and aircraft. But
those same Russian firms were not very well organized to be able to
offer their existing customers upgrade options for products sold in
years past,” said a Ukrainian aerospace executive who spoke to AIN on
condition of anonymity.Ukrainian
firms have therefore made it their goal to improve on the basic designs
originally developed in the Soviet period, to the point where the
improvements that they are offering are functional equivalents to
next-generation models of these aircraft and military systems.

World’s
Largest Aircraft: Antonov An-225 Mriya.Bigger than a Boeing 747 and
Airbus A380, longer and heavier than the Hughes H-4 “Spruce Goose”, The
Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft developed by
the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukraine and stands as the largest
aircraft in the world.Known for its immense
carrying capability, the An-225 can carry 550,000 lbs. internally or
440,000 lbs. on the upper fuselage. A behemoth with the sole mission to
carry cargo, the An-225 requires six turbofan engines to keep its
payload in the air.

China
is planning to build two giant Antonov An-225 aircraft in Chengdu and
Shaanxi. Measuring 84 meters in length with an 88.4m wingspan, this
massive plane can carry 640 tons, and holds the world record for being
the longest and heaviest aircraft built
since it came into service in 1988.The decision to assemble two of
these six-engine monsters is part of an agreement hammered out last year
by the Ukraine’s Antonov Company and the state-owned Aerospace Industry
Corp of China or AICC.China and the Ukraine have had a close
relationship when it comes to key technology. In the late 1990s, the
People’s Liberation Army bought the scrapped hull of the Soviet-made
heavy cruiser, the Varyag, before renaming it the Liaoning and turning
it into the Chinese Navy’s first aircraft carrier.Now, according to
media outlets CCTV and Sino Military, China will assemble two An-225
aircraft under the license agreement signed with Kiev last year.Back in
2016, Antonov announced they would complete the second airframe for AICC
as a prelude to major production of the aircraft in China. It now plans
to assemble a second airframe, according to reports.The
Ukrainian aircraft builder Antonov, one of the most legendary
Soviet-era companies, nearly went extinct following the Russian invasion
of Crimea. The Kremlin, the firm’s main customer, suddenly became non
grata.They had such a history together. Because
of the Soviet Union, in the 1980s Antonov designed the largest airplane
in the world — the An-225 Mriya or “dream,” of which only one currently
exists in flying order.The sole operating An-225 serves as a commercial
cargo carrier hauling everything from super-heavy generators to turbine
blades and oil machinery. Even more interesting, Antonov initially
designed the plane to transport a reusable space shuttle on its back.Now
China wants to build one and possibly others.Kiev and Beijing signed a
cooperation agreement to complete a second, unfinished An-225 and
deliver it to the Aerospace Industry Corporation of China. “The second
stage organization of the joint series production of the An-225 in China
under licence,” Antonov announced in a press release.“In addition to
funding, Ukraine will be guaranteed international cooperation and work
in conjunction with global industrial majors who may join this project,”
the company added.

The
Dubai Airshow 2017 features the official appearance of the Antonov
(AN-132) aircraft, which was manufactured and developed by the King
Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the Taqnia
Aeronautics Co. and Ukraine’s Antonov.The aircraft is among 160 of the
latest commercial, business and military aircrafts.The airshow was
opened by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and
prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.Saudi Deputy Defense
Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ayash visited the Saudi-Ukrainian
Antonov AN-132 aircraft and was briefed on its participation at the
airshow by Mohammed Ayesh, director of transport aircraft management at
Taqnia.The participation of this aircraft in the show is an important
step to help promote the aircraft locally, regionally and globally.

The firm’s main customer, suddenly became non grata.They
had such a history together. Because of the Soviet Union, in the 1980s
Antonov designed the largest airplane in the world the An-225 Mriya or
“dream,” of which only one currently exists in flying order.The
An-225 has the longest wingspan in the world "290 feet" and is just
generally a beast of an airplane. It doesn’t have the longest wingspan
in history, which belongs to the H-4 Hercules or “Spruce Goose.” But it
is theheaviest plane in history.The
one existing An-225 first flew in 1988. But with the cancellation of
the Buran shuttle program in 1993, Ukraine mothballed the second plane
while it was under construction. Antonov will complete this second plane
and deliver it to China.And the company just released pictures of the second plane’s fuselage in its Kiev factory.Mriya
can lift such loads because of six ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofan engines
capable of producing 51,600 pounds of thrust … each.The
plane packs 32 wheels (the A380 has 22) and can fly at a cruising speed
of nearly 500 miles per hour with a maximum range of around 9,500
miles without subtracting for tonnage added inside Mriya’s enormous
hold.But the An-225 is not just an aircraft it’s a business. And Ukraine’s aircraft industry is desperate for customers.Antonov,
a formerly Soviet company, became part of an independent Ukraine in
1991. But despite the collapse of the USSR, the company carried on much
as it had before, designing rugged transport planes for Russia and other
countries but mainly Russia.The
company designed planes, and did not build them. However, Antonov
dipped into manufacturing in 2009, and started building passenger jets
for customers including Cuba and North Korea.